Time indicator or marker for timepieces.



F. WHITNEY.

TIME INDICATOR OB. MARKER FOR TIMEPIEGES.

APPLIOA'I'IOH rum) 0011a, 1910.

998,312, Patented July 18,1911.

m -Mfcomma PLANOIIIIAPH C0., WASHINGTON. D. C.

FRANK WHITNEY, OF HUBBARD WOODS, ILLINOIS.

TIME INDICATOR OR MARKER FOR TIMEPIECES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 18, 1911.

Application filed October 13, 1910. Serial No. 586,919.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK WHITNEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hubbard Woods, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented new and useful Improvements in Time Indicators or Markers for Timepieces, of which the following is a specification. I

My present invention has for its ob ect to provide a simple and effective time lnnlt indicator or marker for timepieces, the device being adjustable with respect to the dial of the timepiece and from the exterior thereof and serving to mark or designate the beginning or ending of the different periods of time.

To these and other ends, the invention consists in certain improvements, and combinations and arrangements of parts, all as will be hereinafter more fully described, the novel features being pointed out particularly in the claims at the end of the specification.

In the accompanying drawing: Figure 1 represents a face view of a watch provided with a time limit indicator or marker con structed in accordancewith one embodiment of my invention; Fig. 2 is an edge view of Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the indicator or marker showing the same detached from the watch ortimepiece.

Similar parts are designated by the same reference characters in the several views.

In the accompanying drawing I have shown my invention as applied to an openface watch of the ordinary form wherein a groove or crease is present between the body of the watch-case and the crystal-carrying rim or bezel. It is to be understood, however, that the invention may be applied to' timepieces in general and it will also be understood that the construction of the indicator or marker may be varied in order to adapt it to timepieces of different types or forms, the drawing showing one embodiment of the invention as an example.

In the present instance, 1 designates the body of the watch-case having a back 2, a crystal 3, and a crystal-carrying rim or bezel 4:.

5 designates the dial, and 6 and 7 the hour and minute hands respectively.

In the present instance the watch-case shown is of the form in which the back and bezel are snapped into place, a circular groove or crease 8 being formed between the body portion of the case and the bezel. In the present embodiment of the invention 1 show one form of indicator or marker which can be readily applied to a watch-case of this type. The indicator or marker em bodies a ring 9 which is of a diameter and shape to fit rotatably in the groove or crease 8 between the bezel and the body of the case and this ring carries a radially or inwardly extending index hand or pointer 10 which overlies the crystal and the dial lying be neath it. In this type of watch-case the indicator or marker can be readily placed in position when the bezel and crystal are re moved and by replacing the bezel and crys' tal, the indicator or marker will be held from displacement. This index hand is adapted, owing to its relation to the dial. and the hands of the timepiece, to indicate or mark the beginning or the ending at each setting of any desired period of time. lVhen this index hand is used in connection with the hour hand of the timepiece, it marks the time with respect to the hours of a day and when used in connection with the minute hand, it marks the fractions of an hour. One of these hands may be used for each hand of the timepiece, although I pre fer to use but one index hand as it is generally sufficient. As the index hand is ad justable in a circular path around the mar gin of the dial, it is obvious that it can be set at any point about the circumference of the dial and, obviously, it can be manipulated readily from the exterior of the case of the timepiece.

The device may be constructed in different ways. For instance, it may be stamped from sheet metal or it may be formed of wire with its ends hooked or welded together, the invention not being limited in this respect. The attachment may be snapped into position over the bezel while the latter is in place. By tapering the indicator hand to a point, as shown, and cansing it to lie in close contact with the crystal, nothing can catch upon the indicator hand. In fact, no part of the attachment protrudes from the timepiece to such extent as to catch upon the clothing or other objects. The point of the indicator preferably does not extend inwardly beyond the divisional marks of the minute scale.

I claim as my invention:

1. A time marker attachment embodying a flexible annular piece having an index point and designed to be attached to the -pe riphery of the casing of a finished timepiece and to be retained in position thereon by the rear edge of the bezel subject to various rotary positions of adjustment by friction.

2. The combination of a watch case comprising a body and-a bezel, a circular groove being formed between the body and bezel, and a time marker attachment embodying a ring having a diameter to fit rotatably and frictionally within said groove and provided with an inwardly extending index point.

3. An attachment for timepieces comprising a flexible wire ring with an index point by the bezel of a timepiece and be rotatably 20 positioned thereon by friction.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand 1n presence of two subscribmg w1tnesses'.

FRANK WHITNEY. Witnesses ALFRED D. HERRMANN, G120. RUDOLPH.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

